Don't Grow Weary

In a world that rarely rewards truly good behavior, it is not a surprise that God’s people would be tempted to grow weary in doing what is right. But don’t. The Bible calls us to constantly renew our perspective and our strength, remembering that doing the right thing is always the right thing. After reminding us that “sowing and reaping” is an unwavering reality (even if the sprouts of consequence are long in coming), Paul calls the Galatian churches to “not become weary in doing good, for in the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Gal.6:9). We must not forget that God is on the throne and he will inevitably reward righteous behavior. Don’t give up. Don’t despair. Keep faithfully following his path and upholding his precepts. In the end he will vindicate every good deed. In the meantime, look to him for strength. He can give you the perseverance you need. “The Lord gives strength to his people” (Ps.29:11) and God “increases the power of the weak” (Is.40:29). So ask him today for the courage, the power and the perspective to keep doing what’s right regardless of what others may say. In time we will see it was all worth it.

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Life's Opposition

Many Christians assume that if God really loves us, he will fill our lives with good feelings, satisfied desires and things that make us happy. That may be a common assumption, but it certainly isn’t what God told us he’d do. The Bible is clear that for now, because we live in a fallen world, function in fallen bodies and interact with fallen people, we will experience a life of difficulty. Yes, God loves us (so much so that he was willing to provide for our forgiveness by punishing his Son as though he was the sinner we are), but he has delayed his ultimate blessings until we are done drafting the rest of his yet-to-be enlisted followers. Our goal is to maintain our faith, hope and love until the job is done. In the meantime Jesus reminds us that “No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also” (Jn.15:20). Jesus experienced both, and so will we. Unfortunately, more people rejected, disdained and hated Christ than rightly responded to his call to be reconciled to God. But some did obey his teaching, and occasionally with us they do also. There are those choice few who hear us out, repent of their sin and trust in Christ – which makes all the opposition worth it. So when things in this sinful world make your life hard, know that it was the same for God’s beloved Son. We certainly can’t expect our earthly experience to be any better than the King of kings. But remember that just as Jesus finished his race and entered the perfection of “paradise”, we will too. When our job is done, the love of God will be manifest in uninterrupted good feelings, satisfaction and happiness.  Maranatha!

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Wait Patiently

Sometimes the way we read the Bible becomes a disservice to our Christian life. When a tension is presented in the plot of a biblical narrative we naturally “can’t wait” to see how it will be resolved; so we rush on to see how God works it all out. And after we’ve become familiar with all the Bible stories, our rereads of the various human crises are often skimmed with the calm thought that “in a few pages it will all be fine… I know how this story ends!” Unfortunately the impact to our Christian lives in not allowing our hearts to feel the duration of the time markers found in these accounts, is that we begin to feel like our own prolonged and unresolved conflicts, injustices, pains, and problems are bizarre or unusual. We impatiently cry out to God as though he is inattentive or has forgotten about our hurt. But stop, think, and sympathize with the reality that Isaac wasn’t born to Abraham until twenty-five years after the promise. Remember that Joshua and Caleb had to wander through the desert for forty years before entering the Promised Land. Call to mind that the time between the anointing of David as king and his enthronement was a turbulent fifteen years. Don’t forget that the Babylonian captivity stretched on for seventy years. So when you read your Bible, slow down and experience these stories as they were intended. Recognize that built in to almost every biblically recorded predicament is God’s call for his people to “wait on him” and “be patient!”

For more sermons and devotionals on Waiting Patiently, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org. 

Christ's Return

The Bible warns that many will ridicule us for our confidence in the second coming of Christ. “Where is he?” they will scoff, “It seems to be taking him a long time” (cf. 2 Peter 3:3-4). While we may respond defensively, inwardly a lot of Christians share their sentiment – especially when we revisit Christ’s repeated promise: “I am coming soon” (Revelation 22:7, 12, 20). Before we are tempted by the mockers’ skepticism, we ought to be careful to rightly understand the biblical promise. Peter offers two helpful explanations. First, he tells us that “soon” is obviously a relative term. God’s view of time is not our own (2 Peter 3:8). Ever since his ascension, Christ’s return is “soon to be accomplished” as the next big event on God’s agenda. Next, Peter reminds us that all that is preventing this world-changing event is the effortless command of God. With a single syllable, everything will change. This concept of “suddenness” is included in the sense of the ancient Greek word translated “soon”, and is the reason it is rendered “quickly” in some translations. To quote a Hebrew text concerning the end, God has said, “In its time I will hasten it” (Isaiah 60:22). As James taught, the “nearness” of his return is as simple as the swinging open of a door (James 5:9). And Paul adds that the end will come “suddenly”, like “labor pains upon a pregnant woman” (1 Thessalonians 5:3). So remember, if your anticipation of Christ’s arrival feels like the never-ending “pregnancy”, know that the end will come swiftly and suddenly, and then, at last, we will see Christ face to face.

-- Pastor Mike

For more sermons and devotionals on Christ's Return, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org. 

Real Trust

Trust in God is often expressed by our restraint. We are expected to recognize that God is present, aware and lovingly involved in every difficult situation we face. It is required that Christians curb many of their “natural” responses, and learn to patiently, and often quietly, wait for God’s resolution. Of course there are times he calls us to stand up, speak out or fight, but more times than we’d prefer, God demands that we slow down, keep quiet, and wait for his intervention. We need to remember that in most cases “the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:20). So the more you consider the character of God and his omnipresent concern for his kids, the more you will be able to sincerely say with the psalmist, “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord” and you will gladly heed the call to “wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord” (Psalms 27:13-14).

For more sermons and devotionals on trust please go to the Focal Point Ministries website.